Taking the Blame
by CantoCookieMonster
Summary: High School AU. Matthew was used to covering up for Alfred. After all, they were twins, and wasn't it natural to protect someone so close to you? That's what Matthew thought, until he loses the one thing that he loved because he stood in for his twin. And, after seeing it all happen, what will a certain Brit do? Rated T just in case. No Pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! I'm CantoCookieMonster, or CCM.**

**Warning: There may be slight Alfred bashing, but I hope that doesn't put anyone off.**

**The setting is in the States, because I thought football would be more important over there.**

**I don't own Hetalia in any way, whatsoever!**

* * *

Arthur Kirkland, Terra High School's student council president, was about to round the corner of the school when he heard the sounds of a fight. He turned and started walking back the way he came, thinking that he would just take the long way around. After a couple of steps, he stopped. The fight had caught his attention and his curiosity had taken the bait. Walking back to the corner, he stuck his head out to take a look at what was going on. Arthur saw three people, two facing off, and one standing aside, but clearly stood next to who he sided with. Looking down, he saw three others already passed out on the ground. Bringing his eyes back up to the still conscious fighters, the Briton noticed that the backs of the two blonds standing together looked oddly familiar. 'No.' Arthur thought. 'He wouldn't. It couldn't be.'

"This is why you don't mess with me," growled Alfred F. Jones, "you had this comin'." And with that, he punched the guy in the face. Hard. There was an audible crack, and without even wincing at the sound, the star football player kicked his opponent square in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Alfred's opponent didn't move. "You better stay down," said the blond. The boy with the broken nose and maybe a bruised rib didn't respond at all. No grunt, no twitch, no nothing. Arthur bit his lip, wondering why he hadn't called out yet. Before he could though, the other student who stood silently beside Alfred spoke.

"Maybe you went a bit too far, eh Al?" The speaker bent down and checked the downed students' breaths. "You knocked them all out cold." Alfred responded with a rather disturbing smirk.

"I told them it would happen if they made me mad," he said, a glare replacing his smirk of triumph, "They just didn't listen to me. And besides, you saw it Mattie, they were all up in my face saying that everyone only put up with me because of football. Their jealousy did this to them."

Matthew Williams cringed as he took in the damage dealt by his brother. This was not good. Nervously glancing in different directions as Alfred rambled on about his victory, he came close to spotting Arthur, who had ducked back behind the wall just in time. What he saw clearly though, was the faint outline of the vice-principal, Mr. Beilschmidt, heading down the path. Matthew knew that Alfred couldn't get in trouble for his actions. The football championships were coming up and the Terra High Titans needed their star quarterback.

"Al, someone's coming. Run before they see you. You can't miss a game." A flash of uncertainty flashed on Alfred face, but he whispered his thanks to his brother and darted off silently at full speed, narrowly missing Arthur as he ran around the corner. Arthur himself went unnoticed, but he hung back, because his curiosity was still hooked.

The Vice-Principal had noticed that there was something wrong now, as he got closer and saw the bodies on the ground. "What happened?" asked Mr. Beilschmidt, "Alfred, did you do this?" Arthur was about to say yes from his hiding spot, but Matthew spoke up.

"I did it sir, but I'm not Alfred. I'm his twin brother, Matthew Williams." There was an edge to his whispery voice, as if daring the Vice-Principal to suggest otherwise.

Arthur's eyes widened. Why was Alfred's brother covering for him? This level of violence was serious trouble! 'Knowing the Vice-Principal,' thought Arthur, 'He probably knows Matthew is covering for his brother.'

Arthur was right. The Vice-Principal asked Matthew if it really was him, and explained that there would be grave consequences. The student council president almost laughed. There was no way Matthew was going to fool Beilschmidt into thinking he did it. Not with that whisper of a voice. But, what came next surprised both the Vice-Principal and Arthur.

"Oh, so you think I can't beat up some hosers by myself, eh?" asked Matthew with a tone that neither listener had ever heard him use. It was one of pure malice and defiance, the exact opposite of the soft whisper he usually spoke in. "These guys pissed me off so much, saying 'Alfred's so much better than you, eh! It must suck being non-existent!' that I decided to make them notice me! And what better way than to give them a reminder on their faces? I think I did a pretty good job, eh?" Taking a quick peek, the student council president almost died of shock when he saw Alfred's smirk pasted onto his brother's face. "I bet all you prissy teachers don't know who I am either, eh! Always loving Alfred for everything he does for Terra High. You know what I say to that? Up Yours, Hosers." That was the last straw.

"THAT'S IT! MR. WILLIAMS, GO TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE." After taking a breath to calm himself down, Mr. Beilschmidt continued. "I will not tolerate this behaviour. I will notify the office of your coming. Go!" Arthur chose this moment to come out and pretend to be unknowing of anything that had just happened.

"Is there something wrong? I heard yelling." Arthur's eyes held Matthew's and the green-eyed Briton noticed a slight trace of nervousness. He felt bad for the boy, knowing that he did nothing, but he still had to pay for it. Matthew broke eye contact and stalked away, maintaining what Arthur called the "Angry-Alfred" all the while.

"Mr Kirkland. Would you run and get the nurse?" The look on the Vice-Principal's face got his secondary command across loud and clear. He was not to tell anyone about the incident. Arthur nodded and rushed away, not completely comfortable with the idea of what the Vice-Principal would say if he only slowly walked to the infirmary while three people were unconscious.

* * *

Matthew was used to covering up for his twin, but never for something so serious. A part of him wished he hadn't, but it had become a habit.

'You always let him walk over you. HE always takes the spotlight. HE always gets the recognition. You won the State Finals with your hockey team last year and what did you get from the school? NOTHING.' Matthew told the voice in his head to shut up. He knew Al cared more about football than anything, so he did what he could. Being the older twin, he had to look out for his brother. 'Some brother, leaving you to deal with Beilschmidt. You know you might get in really bad trouble this time.' Again, Matthew blocked out his thoughts. He remembered Arthur, who had shown up at the end. Had he seen anything? If he did, would he tell? No, he wouldn't. The entire school wanted Alfred to win the game. Being the student council president didn't make Arthur an exception.

There were people in the hallways getting to class, but as usual, no one noticed him. The blond drifted by his group of hockey teammates, including the Scandinavians, such as Matthias, Berwald and Tino, and also the Russian player, Ivan. The Canadian did not acknowledge the worried glances he got from some of the only people who actually knew he existed. However, when he passed by the football team, Matthew could feel Alfred's eyes on him. It was the same well-concealed nervous stare that he received every time he took Alfred's place for something.

Stepping out of the hallway and into the Main Office, the principal was there to greet him. "Matthew, come on in." Mr. Vargas' tone didn't give anything away. It was the usual happy lilt he used with everyone every day. The two went in to the principal's office, and sat down. "I heard about your little trouble from Mr. Beilschmidt. You were in a fight, correct?" Matthew nodded, but stayed quiet. "He also said you were being rather rude." The principal got progressively more serious as he asked questions that Matthew answered mostly by nodding or shaking his head silently. "This is a serious matter, Matthew. Some of those boys were hurt rather badly. Are you willing to accept the consequences?"

'Alfred should be the one sitting here, Matthew. You know it.' Pushing against his inner thoughts, Matthew said as convincingly as he could, "Yes sir."

* * *

Alfred saw Matthew head down the hallway. He was glad that Matthew was so considerate. His brother understood how much depended on Alfred, and besides, it wasn't like Mattie did anything at school anyways.

* * *

Arthur was bringing some papers down to the office to get them signed by the principal at the same time Matthew was in the office. The brit was told to wait outside on a chair until Mr. Vargas was finished. Leaning against the window of the office, he could hear the conversation between the principal and Alfred's brother.

"Matthew, you're a good kid. Why'd you do it?" The reply was soft, and Arthur couldn't hear the reason Matthew made up. Arthur had known Alfred for a long time, and being as reckless as he was, he knew Matthew's life couldn't be easy. Arthur actually felt bad. If it wasn't for this incident, he knew he probably would have already forgotten the soft-spoken twin.

"Tell you what. Because you've never been in any real trouble before, your consequences will be less than if you were a constant visitor to my office." Arthur could feel the tension on the other side of the wall. If he was in Matthew's place, he would have ratted out Alfred first thing, football championships or not.

"Let's say one week of suspension, followed by two weeks of detention. That should be enough, right?"

'Principal Vargas is really going easy on him,' thought Arthur. He took his head off the glass as Mr. Beilschmidt came near and entered the room. After the man had entered, the blond leaned back again to hear more.

"You are being too lenient," said the Vice-Principal, "His transgressions must be dealt with accordingly."

"He's a nice kid. I gave him suspension; don't you think it's enough?" To Arthur, Mr. Vargas seemed to be protecting Matthew, who had actually not spoken a word since had entered the room. The Vice-Principal thought a moment, before remembering a crucial fact about the boy in question.

* * *

Matthew sat nervously as the Vice-Principal thought. He was hoping for the safety of one thing and one thing only.

"You are on the hockey team, correct?" Matthew's blood ran cold. He knew it. Numbly, he nodded. "Then you shall be excused from team activities until further notice, in addition to your suspension and detention." Tears sprang up to Matthew's eyes, threatening to pour out at any second. This was the only thing he didn't want to lose. And it was this year's finals soon as well. The blond dug his nails into the palms of his hands, hoping to distract himself from the fact that the team was going to have to choose another captain. The principal sighed soon after.

"You can go now, Matthew," said Mr. Vargas. "Your suspension will start tomorrow, and we'll inform your parents and the hockey team." He didn't dare look up into the principal's eyes. Matthew stood up quickly and almost fell. He was still kind of stuck between crying and not crying. He took a ragged breath and walked fast out of the room, out of the office, and out of the school.

* * *

Arthur heard the punishment and watched as Matthew left the room crying silently. The boy went through too much for his brother. Too much. The student council president made his way into the room, where the principal and vice-principal were actually arguing.

"You made him cry, Sieg. He probably didn't even do it, and being rude doesn't amount to this much. Hockey seemed to be the only thing the boy loved at school."

"You're too nice, Roma. You can never tell clearly who is right or wrong."

"But-"

Arthur cleared his throat, and brought the papers up tothe desk for the principal to sign. Both men looked at Arthur for a second before Mr. Vargas signed the sheets. After signing them all while glaring at Mr. Beilschmidt, he spoke to Arthur.

Still sending daggers to the Vice-Principal, the Italian principal asked the student council president a favour. "Would you mind seeing if you could find Matthew? He's probably shaken up about his punishment. You should know it, right?" The blond blushed. The principal knew he had been there and had heard everything. "Go on, I'll tell your teachers about your absence." Excusing himself, Arthur turned and went in the direction he saw Matthew go.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

**I would love any Concrit that anyone provides, and reviews are welcome!**

**I don't mind flames, but try to be nice.**

**Thanks!**

**-CCM**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! CCM here!**

**I really want to thank anyone who has read my story, especially the four that reviewed. Thanks for the encouragement!**

**The thoughts of anybody will be Bolded and in Italics.**

**Again, I don't own Hetalia!**

* * *

Matthew picked the furthest corner in the courtyard away from the school to sit down and rest his head on his hands. The Canadian was curled up in a shape reminiscent of a ball, and was letting his tears flow freely, even if he made no noise. The Vice-Principal had taken away hockey, one of the only things that made his school life decent, or at least bearable. His teammates knew who he was, and on the rink, he wouldn't be ignored. In fact, Matthew knew that his lack of presence gave him an amazing edge on ice. But now, there was no knowing when he could return to the place where he felt most at home and the least invisible. Whatever Al did had never gotten him into this much trouble before.

Trying to remove any thoughts of hockey for the moment, Matthew's thoughts redirected toward his parents. If the principal called his parents, Matthew seriously doubted that they would remember who he was immediately. He couldn't deny it, because it was the truth. Alfred was the twin who stole everyone's hearts, not him. Matthew knew that his parents would confront him though, and honestly, he was rather scared. Would he be able to keep Al safe?

'_**The only time your parents notice you is when you cover up for Alfred. It's not even for your own actions. No matter what, it's still for him. Give it up, Matthew**_.' The blond felt a new batch of tears forming behind his eyes. He wanted to say "Shut up!", but he couldn't. If these were his own thoughts, then there was nothing he could do about it.

Stuck in his sadness, Matthew didn't even hear the footsteps coming up behind him.

* * *

Walking out into the school courtyard, Arthur saw a hunched over figure in the corner, which he would have missed if he wasn't completely looking. Matthew wasn't sitting at the table in his line of sight. He was on the ground, in the corner, right where interlocking stone met forest. The Brit slowly approached, wondering what he was going to say. The only solution he came up with as he strode between tables and chairs, was to simply tap the sophomore on the shoulder.

Matthew turned his head while wiping his tears on the sleeve if his red hoodie. Seeing this, Arthur rummaged through his pockets, retrieving a packet of tissues. The younger boy hesitantly took it from him, and Arthur took this as an invitation to stay. He sat down beside Matthew, and was silent while Matthew tried to wipe up the last of his tears and clear up his nose.

"Are you alright?" asked Arthur, who was genuinely worried. Matthew nodded slowly, still getting over the last couple sniffles. Deciding against telling Matthew that he saw it all, he went for a shortened explanation. "I heard what the principal dealt out. I don't know what you did, but if you ever need any help, the student council is here for a reason." Again, Matthew nodded, but this time, glanced at the older teen as well, whispering a soft "Thank you." Arthur gave him a pat on the shoulder.

They sat in a somewhat comfortable silence until the bell rang, signaling the period change. By now, any tears had dried up, and Arthur decided to try and bring Matthew back inside. "You can't sit here forever, lad. Do you want to go to class? If you don't, I'm sure that Mr. Vargas would let you go home. There's only one period left anyways." Matthew just shook his head.

"I'll stay for a bit longer, if you don't mind. I need to clear my head before going back in." The Canadian's voice was quiet, almost blending in with the wind that blew through the nearby trees. "Thanks for sitting with me, Arthur." Said junior smiled gently as he got up.

"No problem. Don't be too long now." Arthur turned to head back into the school, with one last look at Matthew, who had turned away from him. The gentle smile vanished the more he walked. He wanted to do something for the boy, but Matthew probably did not want Alfred getting in trouble. Arthur ran his hand through his hair. What in the world could he do?

* * *

Alfred tried to listen to the teacher and to focus in class, but he couldn't help sneaking looks at the door and at the empty seat where Matthew was supposed to be. Where was he? The principal couldn't keep Mattie for that long. It was the first time the administration had gotten involved in something Matt- no, HE did, so he was actually quite worried.

"Alfred, are you still with me?" called the teacher from the front.

"The hero is always here!" he called out in reply. As the class laughed, Alfred looked over to his twin's desk again. '_**But where's the hero's sidekick?**_'

* * *

The end of the day bell rang, and people started spilling out of the doors. Matthew slowly made his way back in, trying to avoid any pushes or shoves as he went against the outward flow of students. Reaching his locker, the blond slowly started putting his stuff in his bag. He tried to get everything he needed to study at home, because that's what he was going to be doing if he wanted to keep his grades stable. Finishing up, Matthew went to lock his locker, when an arm draped around his shoulders.

"Hurry, Birdie! We can't be late for practice so close to the State Finals, especially not you, captain!" said Gilbert Beilschmidt, a defenseman on the hockey team. He was a junior, a good friend of Matthew's, and was proud that 'his little Birdie' was captain. "They grow up so fast!" Gilbert had said as he wiped fake tears away.

Matthew didn't know how to respond. He took a breath, trying to calm himself down, and told Gilbert the news. "Gil, I got suspended, and removed from any hockey activities until further notice."Gilbert stopped in shock. The albino laughed nervously, removing himself from Matthew's shoulders to stand in front of him.

"You're kidding, right? There's no way anything you've done could get you into trouble like this." When Matthew stayed silent, Gilbert dropped any possibilities that his friend was messing with him. "Matthew, what happened?"

The sophomore only looked down at his feet. He couldn't bring himself to look up at Gilbert's red eyes with his own violet ones, because he knew if he did, he wouldn't be able to lie. "The team will have to choose another captain for the finals. I'm sorry." With that, Matthew moved past Gilbert and out the front door, mixing in with everyone else.

Left hanging by his friend, Gilbert just stood there trying to make sense of what he had been told. What in the world had Matthew done to deserve this? Knowing Birdie, the boy was too mild mannered off the ice to even speak up. In any case, Mr. Vargas wouldn't go this hard on a first time offender. His face twisted into one of disgust as he realised who probably banned Matthew from playing his sport. Reigning his in anger though, the junior went to do the first thing that came to mind. Tell the team.

Gilbert ran as fast as he could to the rink, where he knew the team would be for practice. Did anyone else know yet? Bursting into the change room at full speed, he crashed into someone who had just finished speaking, and got a face full of pale blonde hair. The albino looked up at the person he rammed into, and glared at him with hate while rubbing his nose. "I knew it," snarled Gilbert, "Only you can give out cruel punishments like this." Mr. Beilschmidt looked down at his grandson with a matching glare before turning away and walking out the door. The junior kicked the metal door hard, muttering something about his grandfather having too many sticks up his ass. The harsh metallic sound echoed throughout the silent change room, where all the team members were worried for their future games, and most importantly, for their captain.

"What do we do now?" asked Tino, one of the team's centres. "There's no knowing when Matthew is allowed back." Everyone else seemed to be silently asking the same thing. The coach only sighed. Matthew was an amazing player, and one of the best forwards he'd ever coached. Together with the others, their team was unstoppable.

"We'll have to do our best, and hope Matthew can come back as quick as possible." With Berwald, Matthias, Ivan, and some other great players, the State Finals would be rather easy to get to, but having their captain missing made the Terra High Hockey team feel incomplete.

* * *

After walking home from school, Matthew was greeted by an empty house. Both his parents were at work, and Alfred was still at football practice. He put his keys back in his bag and took off his shoes. Dragging his feet up the stairs and into his room, he grabbed his old stuffed polar bear, Kuma...something, and buried his face into its worn, but stillwhite, fur. This was the only thing that helped him calm down right away whenever something bad happened. Thinking, Matthew realised Arthur was a pretty big help today, so he wanted to give him something in return. Letting his thoughts and his eyes wander as he thought, everything seemed to be fine, until Matthew caught sight of his hockey stick, and the jersey hanging from it. At that moment, reality came crashing down. For the next week, he would be here, all alone. Not at school, where he should be. Not at the rink, where his teammates were. Just at home. By himself.

'_**You knew Beilschmidt was going to take hockey away. You knew it**__._' The Canadian tried to argue with his own harsh thoughts. "But if I let him catch Al, then the football team..." His inner voice laughed. It was hollow, with no trace of humour. '_**So what? Let them lose him. Let him feel this pain for once. It was his mistake, so he should have to pay for it.'**_

Matthew struggled, because he knew that even though he trying to argue, he was only looking away from the truth. '_**You fool. You're too nice, too considerate. Look where it got you. And guess what? Your parents haven't even come home. You're in for it. You dug your own hole. Your own deep, deep hole.'**_ The blond, still holding his bear, whispered softly to himself. "I know."

* * *

The tension present at dinner table in the Jones (and Williams) household was palpable. The silence was only broken by the clinking of forks and knives on plates. Alfred couldn't stand it. "Hey dad, mom, guess what? I totally threw an amazing pass at practice today, and Coach said he might make me Captain next year!"

'_**You're already captain of your team, Matthew.'**_ The Canadian ignored the voice in his head, and gave a quiet congratulations to his brother.

Amelia Jones smiled at her younger stepson, "That's great, Al! Your dad was right! You're amazing at football!" Alfred beamed back. He had loved Amelia ever since his dad remarried. She was such an upbeat person. But, however happy Amelia was with Alfred at the moment, Frederick Jones was not.

"Al, did you get suspended today?" asked Frederick, "I got a phone call saying that my son is excused from school for the next week, and from Hockey team activities until further notice, and also has detention for the next two weeks after he goes back to school, all for a certain fight today. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Alfred almost dropped his fork. That much punishment? Well, he had beaten up three... four people pretty badly, so he guessed it was light, considering it was Beilschmidt that showed up. However, he had to play along with the cover up, even if he felt a bit guilty now. "What do you mean? I don't even know how to play hockey!" He gasped, hoping to make his little charade believable. "Mattie! Did you beat someone up?"

All attention was turned to the twin who had been quietly eating the entire time. "Uh... yeah. Forgot to mention it, eh?" said Matthew, glancing cautiously around the table. Amelia was looking at him in shock, Frederick had his eyes narrowed, and Alfred looked a little guilty, but was trying to mask it with shock. A clearly audible "Why?" from Amelia hung in the air. The tension had returned, and this time worse than before. Everything had stopped except the ticking of the clock.

Again, Alfred couldn't stand it. "Matt, you play hockey? Are you any good?" Matthew was in the middle of nodding when Frederick snapped.

"Matthew, go to your room. You're grounded for the next month, no, two months, and I don't care if it was for fun or for self-defense, YOU NEVER HIT ANY ONE." Frederick had stood up and was yelling now. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME? I DON'T NEED YOU CAUSING ANY TROUBLE FOR YOUR BROTHER DURING FOOTBALL SEASON. AND WHAT KIND OF PUNISHMENT IS BANNING HOCKEY? I BET YOU DON'T EVEN PLAY! BUT YOUR BROTHER IS NEEDED ON THE FOOTBALL TEAM! BE MORE CONSIDERATE AND THINK ABOUT OTHERS FOR ONCE!" Finished with his rebuking, Frederick sat down heavily, and muttered underneath his breath. "Just like his mother," was what Matthew heard.

The older twin stood up from the table, knowing that it could have been a lot worse. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again," replied the Canadian sofly. With no emotion, Matthew did what his father told him to without any backtalk. His steps were quiet and light, and there was no slamming of any door. Alfred didn't know what to do. He looked to Amelia, who just mouthed instructions to keep eating.

Amelia herself was trying to calm down Frederick, who was still a little red in the face. "This is what I get for letting Marianne take custody of him," said Frederick, sounding regretful. The lone female of the family just kept patting and whispering quietly to her husband.

Alfred knew this was his fault, and couldn't stop feeling bad about it. He decided talking to his twin would help him get it out of his system. "Mom, may I be excused?" asked Alfred. Amelia nodded, and told Alfred to put his stuff in the sink. After cleaning up, and looking another time at his mom, who gave him a strained smile, and his dad, the younger twin slowly made his way up the stairs. At the top, he turned towards his brother's room. Looking underneath the door, he saw that the lights were off. Carefully, Alfred knocked.

"Mattie? Can you hear me?" There was no response. Alfred felt his heart sink. "Oh Matt. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry." When Alfred heard quiet sniffs, but no motion towards the door, he left for his own room, feeling like the worst brother in the world.

* * *

**STILL TO BE CONTINUED!**

**Depending on how I want to write it, there should be either one or two chapters left.**

**And just like any other author, I would love Concrit, and reviews!**

**Again, Flames are fine, since you're just telling me that I could do better, but still.**

**Ciao!**

**CCM**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again!**

**This will probably be the last chapter, unless I decide to do a little extra story about the detailed reaction of the hockey team.**

**But it probably won't happen, so voila! Here, it ends.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia!**

* * *

Hearing footsteps walking away from his door, Matthew let go of any strength left in his body, and flopped down on his bed. The tears were still there, and quiet sobs made him shake. Blocking out the rest of the world, the Canadian wrapped his arms tighter around Kuma. He tried to ignore anything and everything, but his thoughts, his own thoughts, wouldn't leave him alone. _**'Why is it always you that Frederick yells at? Why do you screw yourself up for someone else? Look at yourself. You're a mess.' **_Matthew knew all this already. He just didn't want to admit it. He knew he was too nice, too weak, and too pathetic, and maybe others knew it as well. _**'Alfred probably knows this about you, and uses it for his own good. So why keep doing this?' **_

Matthew was going to say that Alfred felt guilty this time, and that he apologized already, but how can one deny the past? _**'What is it, the first time he's ever felt remotely bad for you? One sorry is going to cover years of this torture? The fact you don't hate him yet is a miracle.'**_ The Canadian couldn't take it. He grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it against the wall.

"SHUT UP!" he shouted, pushing any thoughts to the back of his head. No more thoughts would come if he didn't think. The blond repeated softly, "Don't think, Forget, Don't Think, Forget," but he couldn't do it. Pulling his bear even closer, Matthew broke.

* * *

Alfred could hear Matthew from his room, and he couldn't stand it. The American just couldn't bear to hear his brother cry, but what could he do? Shaking his head, he tugged on earphones, turned up his music, and got back to his games.

* * *

Arthur sat at his desk, today's incident still in his mind. _**'I should just leave it alone.'**_ So the Brit tried concentrating on his homework, on his reading, even on the noises his brothers were making as they yelled at each other, and everyone knows what the Kirklands sound like when they were mad. However, nothing helped. Matthew and Alfred just wouldn't leave his train of thought. Honestly, the best course of action that Arthur came up with was to tell Mr. Vargas and Mr. Beilschmidt hat Alfred had done it. Even if someone was the supposed football "hero" of the school, they shouldn't get special treatment. However, he couldn't tell, because then what Matthew did would be in vain, and besides, the younger teen wasn't the type to be rash. He probably knew what he was getting himself into.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Arthur rested his head on his desk. There seemed to be nothing he could do. He picked up a pen and started fiddling with it. He had a pen and paper out, originally to write a letter to Mr. Vargas, but since that was out of the question, the pen and paper were useless. Moving to put the stationery away, Arthur was suddenly struck by an idea. It was perfect. Silently thanking any literary masters and poets he had studied, he put the paper back on his desk, and started to write.

* * *

The next morning, when Alfred went down the stairs for breakfast, he saw his mom and dad, but no Matthew. He decided to ask his parents, since Matthew was usually down before him and already dousing whatever was for breakfast in maple syrup.

"Your brother? He's probably still upstairs since he can't go to school," said his father. Alfred missed the slight disgust Frederick had in his voice when he had replied. The American had forgotten that Matthew wasn't going to school with him today. Alfred opened his mouth to ask another question about Matthew when his breakfast was placed in front of him by Amelia, and he was told he only had three minutes before the bus came. Shoving things in his mouth, Alfred barely chewed his waffles before running out of the house with his backpack and football gear. He could hear Amelia's tinkling laughter has he closed the door. What he didn't hear or see, was Matthew looking at him from the staircase.

The Canadian watched blankly as Alfred left, and after he heard the door lock, went down hesitantly. He didn't know what to expect from Frederick after last night, and he didn't think he could take another round of being yelled at. Slowly walking into the kitchen, he tried to be as quiet as possible. Matthew grabbed his stack of pancakes and numbly walked out of the kitchen, back up the stairs and into his room. One morning down, four more to go. Eating his pancakes, he tried studying. After getting through half of the chapter he was currently studying in biology, he heard both Amelia and Frederick leave for work. Matthew opened the door, and looked around in the hallway. _**'Since when should someone be cautious in their own home? But then again, this isn't a home. It's just a house.' **_Paying no attention to the voice in his head, he decided to go to the kitchen to see what he could eat for lunch. Matthew had a feeling that by the end of his suspension, school would feel like the best place on earth.

* * *

The school day was uneventful, if Arthur could say so himself. Nothing had really happened, except for the rumour that was going around, in which the ghost of Alfred's ancestor had materialized and beat up 4 people. When Arthur had first heard it, he almost laughed out loud. It was amazing what high school students could come up with.

He hadn't yet finished his letter to Alfred, but he planned on getting it done by tomorrow. Shrugging his bag onto his shoulders, Arthur passed the closed office door as he headed outside. The Brit stopped when he heard yelling from the inside, which was probably why the office door had been closed when it was usually open. He wondered if he should go in. Last time he gave in to curiosity he had gotten himself involved with Alfred and Matthew.

Despite that, he found his hand turning the doorknob. Sighing and stepping into the office, he found that the yelling that he had heard from outside was not in English, but in... German? Standing in the reception area was Ivan, Berwald, Tino, Matthias, and Vash Zwingli, all members of the hockey team. Arguing with the Vice-Principal in his office were his grandsons Gilbert, who was shouting, and Ludwig, who had been aiming for a calm discussion, but was now just trying to calm both his brother and his grandfather down. Sadly, Ludwig didn't get very far with his peace mission.

Nobody in the reception area knew what was being verbally thrown back and forth. Well, except for Vash. Said Swiss hockey player seemed torn between laughing his head off at what Gilbert was calling Mr. Beilschmidt, or breaking out in rage and joining the argument himself. He looked closer to the latter. Arthur was in the same situation as the other non-German speakers. They picked up on Matthew's name a couple times, and on some random English words used by Gilbert, but otherwise, they were clueless.

A loud slam of hand on wood was heard before Gilbert stormed out of the room and the office in unmasked fury. Ludwig himself looked angry, but tried to hide it as he apologized to his grandfather. The tall German then left the office, probably to find his brother.

When the other team members started leaving, Arthur stopped Tino, who seemed to be the most approachable. The Finnish hockey player answered his question, even though Arthur hadn't asked. "We were passing by, and Gilbert saw his Grandfather. He said something about continuing from last night, and then followed Mr. Beilschmidt into his office where they started yelling, probably about Matthew's suspension from the hockey team. Gil was already mad yesterday when our captain told him."

Arthur was pretty sure no one else knew about the incident before the Vice-Principal had gone to the rink. How could the hockey team captain have already known? "Who is the hockey team captain?"

A sad look crossed over Tino's face. "Matthew was, and he was good."

The conversation finished, Tino turned and went to rejoin his friends, who had been waiting for him. Arthur himself left as well, not wanting to catch the attention of an angry Vice-Principal. He didn't know the sophomore was already the captain of his team. No wonder this whole situation made Matthew so unhappy, and the rest of the team this mad.

Making it outside, Arthur saw that the courtyard was relatively empty. By now he had missed his bus, so he began walking home. On the way, he passed by what he remembered was Alfred's house. Surprisingly, he and Alfred had been good friends when they were young, and he still remembered where the Jones family lived. He decided to check on Matthew, since he knew the boy had been in a poor state even after the Brit had left the courtyard. Arthur went to ring the door bell.

Matthew opened the door and seemed surprised that he was there. The Canadian let Arthur in, and in turn, the older boy was surprised to see three pairs of shoes already at the door. Walking into the kitchen, he saw Nikolas Bondevik, Emil Steilsson, and Leon Wong. "These are three of my hockey teammates. They came to drop off some work for me." Emil was holding books on Geography, Leon had Math work, and Nikolas was holding a history assignment.

Arthur was glad someone remembered to bring Matthew's work. If no one did, he would have done it himself. However, he wasn't expecting to see the Asian boy that was supposedly on the hockey team. "Leon, you play hockey?" The Hong Kong native shifted in his seat.

"Don't tell Yao. He thinks I'm at the library," said Leon. Matthew smiled at the freshman, who he had met in _his_ advanced Math classes.

"He seemed to need a break from studying, so I asked him to join," said the hockey team captain, "Now he, Emil, and Vash make up the fastest forward line in the State." Matthew smiled sadly. "Too bad I won't get to see them play for a while."

Everyone was silent, and Matthew's comment hung in the air. Arthur saw that the Canadian had plunged back into a somewhat sad place, so he went to give him a pat on the shoulder, just as he did in the school courtyard. "Nice to see you're holding up, lad. I'd best be leaving, but remember, come to me anytime you need help." Matthew gave Arthur a small smile.

The three hockey players stood up as well. "We'll be back with more work tomorrow, Matthew," said Nikolas, "And Berwald, Tino, and everyone else gives their captain their best wishes."

Arthur smiled when he caught the hidden meaning behind Nikolas' words. The Terra High hockey team's captain was Matthew, and no one else. The Canadian seemed to have gotten the message as well, because his thank you came out sounding a bit happier than usual.

All the visitors put their shoes on and started walking down the driveway, leaving Matthew waving to them from the door. Going their separate ways, Matthew saw Arthur going one way, Emil and Nikolas going the other way, and Leon crossing the street to cut though someone's backyard. He shook his head at the freshman's antics, and then returned inside.

* * *

Walking at a faster pace than usual, Arthur decided he was finishing two letters tonight. The one for Alfred, and now, one for Mr. Vargas, asking him to let Matthew back on the hockey team.

* * *

Matthew gathered all the work from the kitchen table and headed back to his room. It was really nice of his teammates to bring all this for him. Arthur had also visited on his own time, just to check on him.

Before Arthur arrived though, Nikolas had told Matthew that Gilbert and some of the others were going to see Mr. Beilschmidt. The Canadian prayed that Gilbert wouldn't go overboard and get himself removed from the team. The team only had a small number of very good defensemen, and losing Gilbert wouldn't be good.

As Matthew went up the stairs, he caught himself smiling. _**'What are you doing, smiling in this situation?'**_ He found that he couldn't help it. The fact that all these people knew who he was and actually cared about him made him happy. Even if Frederick or Alfred or anyone else didn't care, having some friends who would stand up for him made Matthew feel much better.

* * *

Arthur looked at the two envelopes sitting on his desk. He had finished, just like he had planned. The letter for Mr. Vargas was like any other formal letter. He really hoped it would convince the principal to let Matthew play. Looking at the one labelled "Alfred", Arthur smirked. He thought he did a pretty good job with this one. If Alfred didn't feel guilty, this would definitely make him, and if he was feeling the guilt already, well, then he'll feel worse, and maybe even a bit scared. Of course, he typed it and didn't sign it at the bottom. There was no way Alfred could find out who it was.

Suddenly, something interrupted his rather devious thoughts. "OI, ARTHUR! MUM SAYS DINNER'S READY! GET YOUR BRITISH ARSE DOWN HERE!" ... And it was a Kirkland's 'indoor voice'. Arthur heard his mother smack Andrew upside the head for using vulgar words, and the Brit laughed.

"I'M COMING! BUT YOU HAVE TO COME UPSTAIRS TO DRAG SEAMUS OUT OF HIS ROOM!" Hey, what could he say? His last name was Kirkland too, wasn't it? Taking one last look at the letters on his desk, he turned off the lights and left his room.

* * *

Alfred woke up, feeling refreshed. Football had been BRUTAL and yet there was another practice today. If he wanted to be Captain next year, he would have to work hard. Stretching, he got himself out of bed and started getting ready for the day.

After a while, Alfred headed downstairs for breakfast, and almost crashed into Matthew, who was carrying pancakes upstairs. He knew it was Mattie's second day of suspension, but Alfred was now feeling less guilty. His twin didn't even seem sad anymore, so he guessed that Mattie had accepted the punishments and forgave him. Alfred did apologize after all.

"Sorry Matt! Didn't see ya there!" Alfred laughed as he passed his brother, and because he was laughing, he didn't hear Matthew, who whispered, "You never do."

Breakfast was a total repeat of the day before, shoving waffles down and running for the bus. Plopping happily down on the beat up bus seat, he immediately started talking with his football teammates, taking no notice of the disapproving glares he got from Arthur and the hockey team members. Arthur was glaring at Alfred for what he did, while the hockey team was disapproving the fact that Alfred had the guts to be all happy when his twin brother was being suspended. He didn't even ask for any of Matthew's work from class. The hockey team members and Arthur acknowledged each other, and continued glaring at an oblivious Alfred until they got to school.

Once off the bus, Arthur rushed ahead to get to Alfred's locker before the football player himself got to it. He quickly slipped the envelope inside the locker, and then, with a satisfied look, headed off to the office to give his other letter to the principal.

* * *

When Alfred got to his locker, his friends had all left for their own to get ready for class. No one was around him at the moment, so when he unlocked his locker and saw the envelope, he immediately ripped it open and started reading the letter.

_Alfred._

_I saw it. All of it. I don't care for the rumours going around the school, especially not the one about the ghost of your ancestor, because I saw it. Your brother didn't do it. It was you. Alfred F. Jones. What kind of self-proclaimed hero are you, leaving someone else to clean up your mess? _

Alfred paled. This person knew. They knew it had been him who beat up those people. His whole school life could be ruined by this one person. He looked around, a little panicky now. When he saw no one staring at him, only then did he continue reading.

_Your brother, Captain of the Terra High Hockey Team, took your place. I don't know how many times you've let him cover for you, but stop it. It hurts him. I'm not saying to bust yourself on this incident, since Matthew already dealt with this one, but in the future, deal with it yourself. Take responsibility, 'hero'. _

Alfred was shocked. He never knew Mattie was already captain of the hockey team. He didn't even know he played hockey before he heard the punishments.

_Now, here's a little poem for you. Remember it the next time you screw up and try to push it on your brother. It's simple, and it rhymes! You'll have no problem with it. I hope you like it. If you do, remember it from now on. If you don't like it, well, I hope it haunts you._

_Hide behind the Beauty,_

_Hide behind the Fame,_

_Taking all the Glory,_

_While another takes the Blame._

_Don't let this happen again, Alfred._

_Ever._

The American shoved the letter in his pocket, but no matter how hard he tried, the letter's writer had achieved his or her goal. That poem was stuck in his head. Alfred swallowed nervously. He owed Matthew a lifetime of apologies when he got home, because it wasn't only this time that he had walked away and let his older brother take the blame.

* * *

**There! I hope everyone who stuck with it was satisfied! (I apologize if anyhing about hockey is wrong, I don't play.)**

**It was a short story, but it's the first one that's completed!**

**For anyone that didn't get it, Nikolas=Norway, Emil=Iceland, Leon=Hong Kong, Andrew and Seamus=Scotland and Wales.**

******Honestly, any feedback or Concrit would be great. I'm just starting, and I know a lot can be improved.**

******Tell me what you think guys! Good or Bad, I just want to know.**

******Thanks for reading, **

******CantoCookieMonster (CCM)**


	4. Just a Note!

**Hello!**

**This is just a notice. A couple of people and even one of my close friends have asked me to continue with this idea. So I have decided I will, and put up a sequel of some sort. **

**And I said I wouldn't do it. **

**Oh well!**

**Please bear with me for a while longer as I come up with something that I hope will turn out to be interesting.**

**I'll try to work fast, before you guys start forgetting I exist!**

**Ciao!**

**-CantoCookieMonster.**


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